Genetic aberrations in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia and their implications in clinical practice

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy of childhood and
a heterogeneous disorder characterized by excessive proliferation and differentiation block. The
basis of this process is formed by genetic aberrations: a large spectrum of mutations and
rearrangements affect essential cellular transduction pathways, genes assuring proper course
of the hematopoiesis, oncogenes, tumor suppressors and apoptosis regulators. Application of
novel molecular technologies and research methods allow to understanding the biology of
leukemogenesis, identified new diagnostic and prognostic markers based on gene expression
and used to stratify patients and to individualize therapy and improve the determination of
risk factors in each age group. This review presents the current status of knowledge on genetic
aberrations in both pediatric B-cell precursor and T-cell ALL.